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F8 Lightning Interceptor
The Lightning was developed from old aircraft designs for use in space only. Original F8's began construction after the Sorem wars for multiple functions. In fact, nearly all of the F8 variants were designed and constructed in a matter of years, this period is the only time F8's were modified and changed. Since then, the F8 has fallen behind without necessary upgrades and modifications. For quite some time, this wasn't a problem for the Vorxians because their operations focused around larger ships and the research and development followed suite. It wasn't until the Grand Empire of Eldrin was formed that a new fighter was developed, ending the unnecessarily long service of the Lightning. ''Though to this day, many civilians and pirates still use this fighter since it's readily available on public markets- because it is so out of date the weapons systems don't compare to even lightly armed vessels. The ''Lightning ''remains a classic though, though weak weapon systems, it still fares well against other fighters and can perform hit and runs against any unarmed vessel- and with a good pilot even armed vessels. It's because of this that the ''Lightning ''still remains active in fleets- though production was discontinued. These pilots have become nearly famous because flying an F8 is no easy task and it's challenging death every mission, they've become feared among enemies and rumors spread across systems creating legends on the scale of challenging the ''Erravi Omega Fighter. ''Of course the F8 has become so rare in modern times that most of these legends are completely fabricated by the Vorxians and pirates alike in order to create fear among civilians and enemies. Recently, a call has been made for a new version of the ''Lightning, ''one that no manufacturer has taken seriously because the main focus of the ''Lightning ''is speed and durability. Like any common spacecraft, the F8 has variants made to fulfill different roles, from interception to escort. Though, the primary specifications remain constant across the variants. There's actually been enough variants that records were not kept of all of those produced in the war- due to the vast quantities made and the different companies that began production coupled with the chaos of war, records either were lost or simply never made. As well as the custom variants made in the modern age, it can't be absolutely clear which ones are official variants made to fight the Sorem or made by pirate clans in deep space. Regardless, an F8 takes on multiple challenges at once. It has superior acceleration with a max speed challenging corvettes and even some old destroyers. In its day, it had some of the strongest missile launchers- now just called class 1 for large vessels- and the armor to match. The armor is able to take multiple hits from destroyers and frigates of its day and can still take a beating today before needing to fall back. Essentially, the Vorxians took missile tubes from a destroyer and strapped them to a rocket. The F8 is mostly steel, fuel, reactors and missiles with no cargo space and no secondary systems- not even scanners or long range communications. The F8 use to be an exceptional dogfighter, but ever since fighters have been able to make Jumps and make instant 180 degree turns, its fallen out of style. All F8's are designed to be carrier based and commonly made to be two seater simply so if one pilot dies the fighter can keep fighting. ''F8A1-A Variant The F8A1-A is designed to be more maneuverable yet slower than other variants; it also packs a bigger punch with two additional rockets. This variant is a carrier based assault style fighter. 2014-12-07 00009.jpg ''F8A1-D Variant'' The F8A1-D is designed to be quicker and far more agile than other F8's. This variant is a carrier based dogfighting style fighter and a long range interceptor. 2014-12-07 00008.jpg Category:Ships of the Galtrax Galaxy